Ralph Webster
- Ralph Edward Webster – age 91 of Mascot passed away on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at his home. The family will receive friends 12:002:00 PM on Saturday, March 30, 2024, at Bridges Funeral Home with the funeral service at 2:00 PM immediately followed by a procession to Eastview Memorial Gardens for the interment. Full obituary to follow on Friday. Arrangements by Bridges Funeral Home, 5430 Rutledge Pike, 865-523-4999. www.bridgesfuneralhome.com
But the administration isn’t backing the House’s proposed $250 million in new public school benefits with the budget proposal.
“There are a lot of proposals out there with a lot of different dollar amounts on them,” Bryson said Tuesday. “We have done this amendment based on the administration’s position on these . ... It will be for this committee and for the General Assembly to decide.”
Lawmakers still could move forward with the new additional spending for public schools, but they’d have to appropriate those funds from elsewhere in the budget.
It’s unclear what effect the funding omission will have in negotiations on a final version of the bill – but it will almost certainly make it harder for House leadership to make their case for including the public school benefits to Senators who are already dug in defending their own version of the legislation.
Overall, the budget amendment reduces total state spending by about $10 billion – or about 16% – from last year, including significant reductions due to ending federal COVID-19 aid.
Here are other notable items funded in the governor’s budget amendment:
$2.1 million to enact, if passed, Jillian’s Law. Named for slain Belmont student Jillian Ludwig, the bill would require commitment of individuals adjudicated as mentally defective who are charged with serious crimes;
$3.3 million for state-paid mental health screenings for defendants charged with a misdemeanor who are believed to be incompetent to stand trial;
$5 million for the TN Entertainment Commission’s Film Incentive Fund;
$5 million for volunteer firefighter equipment grants;
$10 million in grants for nonprofits, including a $1.5 million grant for Men of Valor, of which the governor was once a board member;
$10 million to TN Economic and Community Development Department for Nuclear Development Fund;
$5 million to TN Department of Military for National Guard deployment to the U.S.-Mexican border;
$40 million for infrastructure improvements on the I-24 industrial site;
$130 million more to the state’s Rainy Day Fund.